A repository for whatever wisdom (or lack thereof) I choose to dispense. Probably consisting mostly of Naval and Maritime history, Photography, or a combination thereof.

Monday, 28 December 2015

Nautical and Maritime Photography 2015

This post will include all of my favourite maritime related photos from the last year including general shipping and boating, and should be my last "2015 in review" posting on the blog. Some photos may appear more because they lead into a bad pun or joke than with any particular quality of the image itself.

Case in point would be this image of Gotland Carolina, and the words "Super Ice" on the hull, which may have been a forecast of our winter to come.

Gotland Carolina.

Very soon we were into a harsh winter with lots of snow, ice, and cold temperatures as this image of the pilot boats attests. The sea smoke in the background usually appears when the temperatures reach -17 degrees Celsius or below.

Halifax pilot boats partly covered in ice and snow. A crewmember with a hammer is removing some of the ice.

Sea smoke often makes for interesting photography, assuming ships are actually coming and going, and that the camera battery doesn't die in the cold.

Chebucto Pilot passing George's Island.

Oceanex Sanderling.

I have also discovered a new vantage point near the waterfront that provides slightly elevated views, from the top of a nearby parking structure. It's great, as long as you don't mind the 8 flights of stairs. It was from there that I took the following image.

BW Leopard.

It was so cold, in fact, that even some of the ships were blowing their noses:

OOCL Vancouver.

As the sun starts to rise earlier in the morning during the later winter and spring, I can be guaranteed some nice dawn skies on my morning commute at some point during the season.

Algoma Dartmouth.

East Coast.

As always, the ferry can provide some interesting views of harbour shipping when the timing is just right. It was good to get some photos of the ACL ships, some of which have already gone to scrap, as their new fleet comes on line. We have yet to see any of the latter yet, but the former were still going fairly strong this year, like Atlantic Companion below.

Atlantic Companion.

Tokyo Express.

OOCL Vancouver.

Northern Debonair.

Tugs Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Larch.

Atlantic Condor.

Shooting from futher up the harbour means you need to have George's or McNab's Islands (or both) in the shot (or worse, Dartmouth and the refinery, which rarely improves an image). The next image makes use of the lighthouses of both islands.

Ocean Cygnus.

The boardwalk down by Bishop's Landing can be a good vantage point to catch ships going into the Halterm piers.

TransPine.

Tidewater's Jones Tide.

Photographing from the south end of the waterfront, you can also capture ships with only the horizon behind them, somewhat disguising the fact that most of my photos are taken from the shore.

The small cruise ship Pearl Mist was actually built in Halifax a number of years ago, although it was a fairly troubled birth. She made several visits to Halifax this year, as well as other ports like Lunenburg.

Pearl Mist.

Fog in the harbour frequently makes for interesting photos, and helps to hide the opposite shore of the harbour.

Queen Mary 2 made several other stops in Halifax during the 2015 season.

QM2.

Bluenose II (Mk.2) finally completed her complete rebuild and was ready to sail, although she did have several issues with her steering that cancelled a few cruises during the summer. In July, she paid her first visit to Halifax. Although officially called Bluenose II, she is a complete rebuild to a new design, and the old ship went to the chipper. I therefore frequently add the entirely unofficial Mk.2 to her name to distinguish her from her predecessor.